NeverarGreat said:

Wexter said:

Mithrandir said:

The prequels sucked, yes. But not because they ruined ESB’s reveal.

I think we can all agree on that.

Raises hand

Um, I disagree on that. The fact that some are even saying that an alternate prequel trilogy should keep that reveal is proof of its power.

What I meant was that if the prequels were actually entertaining, I wouldn’t mind them spoiling the Vader reveal. On the other hand, if it were up to me, I would much prefer the reveal being kept a secret. George missed a chance to show everyone that he is capable of some clever writing. Instead, he has proven to be a lazy hack.

NeverarGreat said:
Anakin

Change the story so that we see his character make the same decisions as Luke. Make him motivated by friendship and compassion, as Luke is, not the lust for power. Make him a good person, and then DON’T show his fall to the Dark Side. As I have written elsewhere, simply show him fighting a final battle with a hooded figure whom he is told is Obi-wan’s other apprentice, a battle that for once, Anakin cannot win. The final scene set some time later reveals a hooded figure, implying that Anakin lost his life in a noble battle against a real flesh and blood adversary and secret student of Obi-wan, when really he lost to an apparition of his own fears, like Luke did in the cave.

I am very sceptical this could be pulled out convincingly. The audience would be left with the notion, that Anakin probably perished, but they wouldn’t know for certain and the uncertainty would probably tip them off, that something is not as the filmmaker wants them to believe. I propose ending the story long before Anakin’s transformation. Anakin could be noble and powerful, but also a bit reckless and hot headed. His character could be a mix of sorts between Luke and Han. He could be shown to be a mild supporter of Palpatine, while Obi-Wan would be more suspicious of the chancellor. If this was written well, once Vader reveals himself to be Anakin, the audience would be in shock to realize the tragic fall of the prequel hero, while at the same time kind of seeing this turn of events as plausible.